Environment & Energy

biophile

(1,514 posts)

1. The medical isotopes we relied upon for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in the US mostly came from Canadian reactors

Reply to NNadir (Original post)

Wed Apr 29, 2026, 08:10 PM

Wednesday

It was a big to-do when the US sources stopped production. There were only a few places in the world that produced our molybdenum and Technetium 99m. There were years in the early 2000’s when we couldn’t get enough. The radiopharmaceuticals were rationed and we fell back on older less optimal isotopes like Thallium 201. The US should have considered nuclear medicine production as part of our national medical security. Similar situation with MRI machines now that rely on liquid helium for cooling that is mostly sourced in ME and travels through the Strait of Hormuz

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Highlight:

CNL (Canadian Nuclear Laboratories) to Produce Thorium Test Bundles for CANDU Reactors. [View all] NNadir Wednesday OP

The medical isotopes we relied upon for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in the US mostly came from Canadian reactors biophile Wednesday #1

I don't believe the Chalk River medical isotope reactor was a CANDU. I might be wrong about that, but that's what... NNadir Wednesday #2

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I finally looked it up and yes it's being replaced by Pallas biophile Thursday #5

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